Something from Feldo

This is from Feldo, the V1.  Just a brief preview with more to come!

www.feldo-luxury.co.uk

The Flying Dutchman

This is something new from Pellikaan Timing - the Flying Dutchman Perpetuum.

An ample stainless steel 45 mm case, powered by a self-winding ETA 2892A.

Available direct from Pellikaan Timing -

www.pellikaantiming.nl

NORD ZEITMASCHINE Variocurve

Courtesy of Nord Zeitmaschine

This is something new  - the Nord Zeitmaschine Variocurve - 43.6 mm in diameter and 15.8 mm in height.  I hope to report live from Basel World with a more in-depth review of these amazing watches.

www.nord-zeitmaschine.ch

Bremont Norton

Judging from the number of people who read the last Bremont post, it seems that there is a real interest out there.

Courtesy of Bremont

This is Bremont's Norton - 43 mm of Stainless Steel goodness!

And while I realize to most watch fans that it is nearly heretical not to focus on all of the tech specs, what really draws me to this chronograph is the overall look, and layout of the dial!

But the fact that it is a COSC rated chronograph into the bargain - well 'nuff said!


www.bremont.com

Space...

And today I woke up with astronauts and cosmonauts on the brain again.  With the last Space Shuttle mission underway, this seemed appropriate -

I know that with all of the problems we have in the world today that space travel is really a luxury that is going to have to wait awhile, but the time will come again I'm sure.

Ellicott Mach One Skymaster Aviator

This is just in from Ellicott -

Courtesy of Ellicott

Mach One Skymaster Aviator Watch

Movement
• Self-winding mechanical movement with unidirectional winding
• Number of jewels : 23
• Thickness : 7.80 mm
• Frequency : 28’800 oscillations per hour (4Hz)
• Power reserve : 50 hours

Functions
• Displays hours, minutes and seconds at center
• Date aperture at 6 o’clock

Features
• Case, tripartite (back, case and bezel) 44 mm x 54 mm (lugs included) thickness
15.50 mm, in monolithic carbon epoxy and steel black DLC* scratch resistant
• Bezel and crown protection, in satin-finished steel black DLC* scratch resistant
• Crown in satin-finished and polished steel
• Dial in carbon fiber
• Hands, hour and minute, Arabic numbers and indexes with luminescent coating, center
second

• Sapphire-crystal with anti-reflection treatment
• Back with sapphire-crystal and satin-finished steel black DLC* scratch resistant
• Water-resistant to 50 meters

Pilot Strap
• Black mat alligator strap with red stitches
• Buckle in steel

* Diamond-like carbon


www.ellicott.ch

Something new from Jaeger-LeCoultre

This just in from Jaeger-LeCoultre -

And in the words in Jaeger-LeCoultre -

Driven by Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978, the Master Tourbillon laid a prestigious milestone in the history of horological accuracy by winning the Chronométrie 2009 International Timing Competition organised by the Watch Museum of Le Locle. This caliber no longer powers the distinguished Master Tourbillon alone, but now also beats at the heart of two other horological creations bearing the prestigious signature of the Manufacture: the Master Grande Tradition à Tourbillon 43 and the Master Date Tourbillon 39




 www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

Bremont's ALTI-Z

One of my meeting in Basel will be with the nice folks at Bremont, so I woke up thinking about their watches - this is Bremont's ALTI-Z

In Bremon'ts own words -

The Bremont ALT1-Z was designed with aviators and world travellers in mind. Z stands for 'Zulu Time' and allows the wearer to display local time together with the official world time standard - Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or even Zulu time (Z). UTC (replacing GMT in 1972) is therefore used as the standard clock of choice for international reference time in communications, military, aviation, maritime and other activities that cross time zones. This is one of the primary reasons why the Bremont ALT1-Z incorporating a modified Valjoux 7754 undertaken with peerless execution, has become the watch of choice for the professionals involved in these activities. The watch case integrates an internally rotating bezel operated by a crown on the left-hand side of the watch.

www.bremont.com

Glycine Airman Base 22

I've spent the past few days with Andre Strikkers's GLYCINE AIRMAN a 24 timeline of flight and woke up with thoughts of the Airman.  Conceived in the 50's to aid pilots traveling around the globe, the Glycine Airman was truly a ground-breaking step forward in the evolution of watches.

This is the Glycine Airman Base 22.  It seems now that GMT/multiple time zone watches are old news, but I for one applaud their staying true to their roots.


www.glycine.ch

Laco Navy Watch

This is the Laco Navy Watch in the 44 mm configuration.

Photo by Laco

Utilizing the ETA 6497 hand-wound movement, and a robust 44 mm in diameter, this is a fantastic watch and an even better value!  

For those of you not too familiar with Laco, they are a company steeped in watch making tradition, operating today in Pforzheim.

And they sell direct!

Check them out at -

https://shop.laco.de

Change is in the wind

Without going into too many details, who said what and when, I have a very strong feeling that we will be seeing some fairly significant changes in various watch companies in the weeks leading up to BaselWorld and perhaps just after.

It has been a curious few years - I was sitting in a Cambridge, MA restaurant eating a bowl of pho when I learned about the passing of G. Grinberg while reading the New York Times.  This was followed by Sevrin Wunderman's death.  And then of course the passing of Mr. Hayek, and then the sudden loss of Luigi Macaluso.

These past year there were the usual comings and goings, but as I said, I have the feeling that we may see some major shifts and some unexpected changes.

I will be there reporting live over the weekend and will be interested to see how things present themselves.

Stay tuned -

Zeitwinkel!

As you can imagine, there are a lot of different watches out there - and a lot of different approaches to promoting them.  As readers of this blog will know, I have always loved NOMOS's story telling approach.  When I was with DOXA I had a habit of trying to make the obvious a little more fun when writing about the various models.  And just recently I visited Zeitwinkel's site and this is how they are going about it -

    

courtesy of Zeitwinkel

Do yourself a favor and check them out!

www.zeitwinkel.ch

Bubbleback - back from the "spa"

After several months at Ali's "Spa" my Bubbleback is back again.  We are in stage two of the "adjustment period" in that we have it down fairly precise but we will have one more adjustment coming to get within 10 seconds a day - but I am pleased to say that this will most likely be an "out patient" procedure.

Current running about a minute fast per day.

Very amazing to think that a group of parts that had been in separate packages for more than 30 years have gone from this -

And this

and this

To this

Are you one in five?

This is the VDB combo SE - this series is limited to FIVE pieces only!



Some of the specs are similar to the Titanium version
44 mm x 53 mm with a height of 13 mm.

VDBcombo SE    3450€

5 pieces in Bronze               

Bezel with black pins in  5min distance and lume pearl

Display caseback               

Eterna-Matic (vintage Kontiki)movement   1x original Dirk strap Vero Squalo in 28mm,1x Alligator      

I have to say that I am really quite taken with the bezel - it is something special.  Moreover, I am a huge fan of these watches - they ensure that beautiful old movements live on!

Here are some more images of the Titanium combination -

This is the AS movement 

And here beats the heart of a much loved KonTiki -

Check them out -

http://eltrado9.cust.shopkeeper.de/vintagevdb.com

Itay Noy

I know that many of you may already be familiar with him - but this is Itay Noy.  There will hopefully be much more to come in the future.  Stay tuned -

www.itay-noy.com

Something new from VDB

This just in from VDB -

VDBcombo Base    2650€

12 pieces in Titanium

Case, Caseback and Crown: Titanium        

Size: 44mm x 53mm x 13mm                  

Case:  Reference numbered and Serial engraved between the lugs 

Special-self interchangeable rotation Bezel: 2x Plexi with lume marker and self change technic in clear  and  black    

Crystal:   6mm Plex whole size, viewable 3mm domed  

Crown:  10mm, screw-down, spring-loaded, double sealed, Logo engraved 

Caseback:  screwdown, double-sealed, engraved   

Dial:  Brass or Stainless Steel, coated, painted, engraved, lumed with some Radiumparts

Hands:  Vintage, lumed with some Radiumparts

Movement:  Vintage AS 2063 (comes in vintage blancpain fifty fathoms to)    

Antimagnetic cover for movement 

Strap:  1x28mm Shark ,1x Alligator  
Buckle: Stainless Steel                        

ARMIN Racing Chronograph

This just in from Armin Strom -

ARMIN Racing Chronograph

In the context of its association with the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 stable, watch
manufacturer, Armin Strom, has the pleasure of presenting the official watch for the
team’s mechanics and development staff. Called the ARMIN Racing Chronograph,
this timekeeper will not go by unnoticed in the paddocks, thanks to its black PVD
titanium case with imposing diameter. The product, with date at 9 o’clock and
components sculpted out of the materials used in racing cars, focuses on the
challenge facing F1 of pushing materials to the limits of their applications. The
circles around the various indications on the dial, highlighted in bright red, serve as a
clear reminder to mechanical sports enthusiasts of the efforts exerted by brake discs
during a Sunday Grand Prix.
The ARMIN Racing Chronograph was developed with a deep concern to achieve
reliability in all tests and devote particular attention to the component finishing and
decoration visible through the case back. This care and a passion for detail have
always constituted the driving force of master watchmaker Armin Strom and his Brand.

TI11-CR.90

Movement 
Mechanical with automatic winding
With chronograph function and date
Rubies: 25
Power reserve: 46 hours

Case 
Titanium, with matt black PVD coating
Sapphire crystal and case back, with anti-reflective treatment
Diameter: 44.40mm
Total height: 13.85mm
Water-resistant: 50m

Dial
Decorated in the Marussia Virgin F1 colours of black/red/white

Bracelet
High-tech leather or black/red rubber with black PVD coated titanium Ardillon buckle

Price
$8,800 - limited to 400.

For more information on Armin Strom:

Totally Worth It, LLC - 888 TWI 4All (888 894 4255) or 724 263 2286

info@totallyworthit.com - www.TotallyWorthIt.com

Graham SIlverstone Timezone - Overview

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end and 15 days have now come and gone and it is time to sum-up the Graham Silverstone Timezone.

Legibility - this is a big deal to me, and particularly when it comes to a watch with an additional complication such as a GMT.  I set the GMT hand to a different time zone and must say that it was clear and easy to use.  What I particularly liked was the 24 hour bezel.  The bezel is fixed and this ensured no manipulations or loss of time zone due to a moved bezel!

The strap is incredibly comfortable, and well balanced to match the watch itself. Instead of going over the top with a super heavy-duty strap, or too far the other way with crocodile, Graham has very sensibly used a subtle and tasteful black leather strap, accented by the red stitching.

And the buckle is the perfect choice to secure it -

If you have snagged enough sweaters, then you appreciate smooth finishing work.  The Graham buckle has presence, while at the same time is smooth, well-finished and the perfect size to complement - not overpower - the strap itself.

The size of the watch was something else I was impressed with.  I was curious before receiving the Silverstone Timezone - could Graham do "smaller"?  Keeping in mind that at 42 mm, this is not what is normally thought of as a small watch!  But sometimes when you are used to a larger canvas, going smaller can be a challenge.  The Silverstone Timezone did not disappoint on this score either.  The dial while utilizing slightly larger numbers, is still clear and legible, very easy to read.

The dial itself was a bit of an unknown quantity for me.  yes, I have seen plenty of carbon/carbon file dials, but none have been nearly as impressive as the Silverstone GMT.  The numbers seem to almost "float" above the dial itself - a very, very cool effect!  Also, the lume on the hands is first rate - very easy to read in dark conditions.

The timekeeping is something that I have mentioned very little in these 15 days - and the reason being that it has been so remarkably accurate it has really become something of an afterthought!  It had been plus 5 seconds, then 3 and for the last 8 days it has been plus 2 seconds per day with no further deviation!

The movement itself is described by Graham as -

Calibre G1714, automatic movement, 28'800 A/h (4Hz), Incabloc shock absorber


So to sum up - I think that Graham has a real winner here!  Yes, Graham does make fantastic large, manly timekeepers, but they also have stayed true to their horological roots with this impressively subtle GMT watch.  I will be curious to see if this evolves further into another line with perhaps a bracelet option - time will (as always) tell!


http://www.grahamlondon.com/

A Few Minutes with George Graham

As you know, whenever possible I try to have an interview to coincide with a 15 day review - and with the review of the Graham Silverstone Time Zone it seemed like a good time to run this "interview".


And now, a few minutes with George Graham -


James Henderson - What was your first watch, was it a gift?  Is there a story behind it?


George Graham - I am not sure that I can remember beyond when I joined my mentor - Mr. Tompion to work with him and I moved to London.  Together we created many wonderful things - and I was also fortunate to make the acquaintance of his niece Elizabeth, who would later become my wife!


JH - When you were a boy, what did you want to be "when you grew up"?


GH - It's difficult to go back that far.  As you know - timekeepers in the form of watches are still a new novelty.  I was, however, very interested both in the natural sciences and had a good head for mechanics.


JH - Where did you go to school, what did you study?


GH - I really consider my apprenticeship with Mr. Tompion to be my formal education - that was in London.

JH - I know that it is difficult to chose a favorite - but is there any one of your creations that holds a special place for you?


GH - Well, I have been blessed with many beautiful and talented "children".  I came up with a timekeeper that could measure - and "capture" actual elapsed time.  We will have to come up with a better name for it - something like "stop watch" perhaps.   I am also quite pleased with the "Dead-Beat" escapement.  Some folks have taken to calling it the "Graham" escapement, but I suppose that is for others to decide.






JH - Who else out there is making watches that interest you?


GH - Well of course Mr. Tompion made some fantastic timekeepers.  There is this new fellow - John Harrison.  He has made a clock out of wood - WOOD!  And that clock is fantastically accurate!  He has also come up with something that people are calling the "grasshopper" escapement.  It is virtually frictionless and requires no lubrication!

He also has it in his head to construct a timekeeper for sea travel, to hopefully aid in the calculation of the longitude at sea.  I know it is mad - but I honestly think that John might be the man to solve this problem.






JH - But I have to ask - why help him as you have?  Surely you could create a clock capable of this?


GH - While I might be able to - he has!  Granted we have worked together, but the inspiration and work has been his own.  I have helped in my own small way - much as Mr. Tompion helped me, but I feel safe in saying he will be the man to solve this riddle!




JH - Maybe that is why they call you "honest George"?


GH - Well I am not the man to say, but I would be happy and proud to help any fellow watch maker in his efforts.  




JH - You've been at the forefront of British horology - who do you think will be the next George Graham?


GH - I know that this is near blasphemy - but it would not surprise me if someone in France will come up with something interesting in the next 20 - 30 years.  Someone who will make amazing things even for royalty.  But if I really think about the future - and in Britain in particular, I sometimes have a vision of a solitary man, working away in some quiet place - maybe a smaller island - Orkney, or maybe the Isle of Man.  I suspect that he will be someone originally born of the city - maybe even London - who was fascinated by the workings of a forgotten watch.  Someone who despite all difficulties of early life will go on to do amazing things.  He may even take Mr. Harrison's idea of the grasshopper escapement and focusing on the idea of a modern escapement that will need minimal "human intervention" he will maybe champion Mr. Harrison's ideal of making something practical and useful to the masses.  It is not the fashion today, but maybe some day watches will be made on a larger scale - hundreds - maybe even thousands per year.  He will probably be the sort of person who will be a bit reclusive, a bit hesitant to take on an apprentice - but I believe that there will be one man who will somehow convince him to take him on.  I know that this will be more than 200 years from now, and I will long since have left this earth for a prior appointment with my creator - but I somehow sense that both the master and his apprentice will reestablish British horology.

Not since Wonka's hunt for the Golden Ticket...

I will admit it, perhaps one of my all-time favorite movies is the classic tales of Charlie Bucket's quest for the Golden Ticket to visit Willie Wonka's chocolate factory.

And in the spirit of Wonka's Golden Ticket Hunt - this just in from Jaeger-LeCoultre -

Jaeger-LeCoultre announces Reverso Treasure Hunt for your chance to win a Reverso

The birth of the Reverso that celebrates its 80th anniversary this year has gone down in legend. From the polo fields of the 1930s to the world capitals of today, the Reverso continues forging its history. While created for sportsmen, the Reverso rapidly earned a broader international clientele, and was soon to be found on the wrists of opinion leaders, prominent men and women, and trendsetters.

Above and beyond numerous variations of the watch, the aesthetic codes of the Reverso asserted themselves as distinctive features of a unique concept. An undisputed watch icon, it has become Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most famous ambassador.

Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre invites all brand aficionados to participate in an online competition “The Reverso Treasure Hunt” and compete for the chance to win a Reverso or a tour to Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in Le Sentier, Switzerland.

The online competition held on the brand’s official Facebook page starts on the 10th of February and will end on March 4th, which is an the anniversary date of the filing of the Reverso patent back in 1931.

The Reverso Treasure Hunt is designed as an adventure for all Reverso lovers, and it combines a virtual journey through the Jaeger-LeCoultre Facebook page in search of the correct answer and a real journey to a special destination where the secret code will be hidden for the participants to discover and enter the final stage of the competition.

Reverso Treasure Hunt: the saga of the Reverso has only just begun

Stage One: join Facebook to answer 7 questions on Jaeger-LeCoultre iconic Reverso watch.  All answers should be correct to get a chance to win. Hint: search for the answer by browsing through the Facebook page and Jaeger-LeCoultre official website.

http://on.fb.me/ReversoTreasureHunt

Stage Two: check Facebook on February 21st for instructions that will tell you where to go to find the secret code. You have 10 days to undertake the journey.  Upon the arrival to the destination, check in on Facebook via “Facebook Places” application for your mobile phone.  Find the object carrying the secret code and enter the code online.

Final Stage: Once the secret code has been entered, check the brand’s Facebook page on March 4th when the competition winners will be announced.

www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

All wound up

Details, or the lack of attention to them can have a big impact on how you view your watch.  Yes, it is more than just the sum of all its parts, but yet and still - details matter.

Yes, I know, I have waxed on and on about the merits of the various rotors that have accompanied some of my prior horological companions.  And this one is another shining example of finish and quality.  What I particularly like is the use of color and texture on the rotor wheel.  Yes, it is black - which is undeniably cool - but it is not "carelessly" so.  By this, I mean that it is balanced and the white GRAHAM really pops - while at the same time really belongs as part of the whole.  Moreover (and apologies that my poor photography could not capture this) there is beautiful finishing work at the bottom of the rotor in the "GRAHAM" pattern.

The case itself is clean, defined, and smooth.  Only a few more days until goodbye...I will try to make them last.

ANTOINE MARTIN - Martin Braun is back!

I think that this one would fall into the category of good things happening to good people - 


Martin Braun is back!

Here is the news, straight from ANTOINE MARTIN -


A watchmaker of exceptional talent, Martin Braun founded his company MHO AG (Manufacture Horlogère Obwalden) in 2009 with the declared aim of realizing his idea for his own watch movement, featuring the Swiss club-tooth lever escapement he had developed himself. After almost two years of intensive work, the first ANTOINE MARTIN movement developed and manufactured entirely in the company’s workshops is ready. It is a fascinating hand-wound movement with an integrated perpetual calendar, large date display and six-day power reserve.

Courtesy of ANTOINE MARTIN

Development of the second movement, an automatic, will be completed by mid-year. Both movements, featuring unprecedented technical innovations, are absolute highlights in watch design and are available exclusively to the new brand, ANTOINE MARTIN.

AN INDUSTRY EXPERT AS CEO

Courtesy of ANTOINE MARTIN

The man appointed to manage the brand is CEO Bruno Jufer, who has enormous experience of the watch industry. He has previously held positions with Maurice Lacroix, Jaquet Droz, Zenith and, most recently, as a member of executive management with Carl F. Bucherer. The new ANTOINE MARTIN watch collection was born under Bruno Jufer’s management. “Our watches are a distillation of all our expertise, our desire to create something totally unusual, and our passion for exquisite design, technology and top-quality materials,” he explains. The brand and its first watch collection will be presented to the industry and the general public at Baselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair.



A CLEAR VISION

According to Bruno Jufer, the brand has a clear vision. “We aim to establish ANTOINE MARTIN as a luxury watch manufacturer of worldwide renown. The brand will be a benchmark for innovative technology in movement construction and stand for unique watch design.” Master watchmaker Martin Braun and entrepreneur Antoine Meier jointly founded the manufacture and provided its name. The combination ANTOINE MARTIN has a pleasing ring and has a similar pronunciation in all the world’s major languages.

The decision not to resurrect and relaunch an existing brand name was a conscious one. “What we’re doing now is making use of all the expertise we’ve amassed in the past and gearing it entirely towards the future.  We aren’t drawing on a tradition established by long-gone founders: our developers and master watchmakers all live in the present and are under no obligation whatsoever to follow predefined routes.  Our independence as regards technology and design is reflected in our current and future products,” says Antoine Meier.

The upcoming world premiere at the Basel Watch and Jewellery Fair.

I will be there!


www.antoinemartin.ch

Lonville is back with the Virage

Courtesy of Lonville

Back after an absence of more than 50 years, Lonville has been revived and will have two offerings with the Virage both in a power reserve (above) model as well as a GMT model -

Courtesy of Lonville

These are truly collector's items with very limited production - only 18 of each model in white gold, and 1 available in platinum.

Courtesy of Lonville

I will have a much more detailed story on Lonville in the coming weeks - and hopefully a live report from Basel in March.

www.lonville.com

A box inside a box

There are a lot of schools of thought when it comes to packaging, and particularly when it comes to watch packaging.  Ochs und Junior and MIH being of the "less is more", Christopher Ward being of the "More bang for the buck", etc.

The nice folks at Graham were good enough to send me some packaging to have a look at -

There is the obvious - the outer box, but then a very beautiful inner box -

I really like the detailing on the box - elegant, but also reinforcing the "sporty" nature of the Graham collection.

And then, for me at least, the coolest part -

Because as we all know, if you are a watch lover you must have at least two with you at all times when traveling!

This is in many ways a very clever approach.  Yes, you are taking care of your customers who insist on fantastic packaging, but you are also giving them something practical.  Well done!

On the streets of Santa Barbara - Reverso!

One of the things I really love about living here is that you never really know what you are going to see.  Yes, Santa Barbara is home to folks with money, but what I find more often than not here is you will find folks with really eclectic tastes who will surprise you.

Wendy and I were in a boutique and I noticed that I was not the only husband in tow.  And out of the corner of my eye I saw this -

I decided to make a nuisance of myself and this was my reward -

It was clear that this was a guy who REALLY loved his Reverso - not for the status, the history, the brand, etc. - he really just loved the watch.  And what I really loved was his approach to wearing it - reversed!  I did tell him about JLC's new online museum and you never know.  

TÄRNAN

I just received this from  - Tärnan

The genesis of Techné (and revived brand Tärnan) dates back to 1991, when Franck J. became a watch collector. He kept searching through boutiques and vintages stores while undertaking studies in design and gold smithing. In 2001 he was awarded first prize for a watch design, which encouraged him to pursue a career within the horological industry. Eventually, the young man ended up in the product department of a watch company that patented and produced one of his own case designs.

Franck J. has always enjoyed developing and designing for other brands, but he was also longing to launch a "homebrew" signature that would offer watches with a great fun factor. The business model comes from entrepreneurs like Messrs Ken Sato, Eddie Platts and Bill Yao who succeeded with "word of mouth" marketing and have inspired a generation of watch enthusiasts.

In 2007, Franck J. decided to register the brand Techné and 2.5 years later the very first watch designed with complete "carte blanche" was released - the Sparrow Hawk. The design of the Sparrow Hawk was 100% original and played with visuals codes from avionics to evoke vintage aviation chronographs. After one year, sales radically soared. One explanation to this recent popularity might be the resemblance to a big name watch that was released 6 months after the Sparrow Hawk.


Techné will keep expanding their model range and it will remain an "utilitarian" brand. The Sparrow Hawk collection is currently sold out, but an upgraded version is under way.

In 2010, Franck J. and his wife applied for the right to use the defunct trade mark TÄRNAN. Being herself from Sweden, Mrs. J. is an essential advisor on budgeting and aesthetic matters.

Little information is available on the brand TÄRNAN, but the trade mark was signed on watches imported in Scandinavia during the 50’s and the 60’s. There are earlier silver pocket watches but vintage classical, military, sports and diving TÄRNAN watches often appear in auctions or vintage stores throughout Sweden and neighboring countries.

The identity of the revived TÄRNAN is yet to be defined, but the duet decided to launch the brand with a model inspired by experimental diver’s watches from the 1950's.

The first timepiece, Oceanographer, is Swiss Made and celebrates the technological breakthroughs of the 1950’s in underwater exploration. The history of diving watches is tied to the invention of the revolutionary Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus and the breakthroughs they both allowed in Oceanography. Rolex was one of the few manufactures that tried to build reliable timepieces for assisting scientists in their exploration of the underwater world.

Photo courtesy of Tarnan

As experts may identify, the main source of inspiration for the TÄRNAN Oceanographer is the reference 6200. The very concept of homage timepieces is not new: Messrs Ken Sato and Bill Yao both tapped in the rich pool of vintage Rolex watches. There is something quite unique about those prototypes that never made it into mass production.

This first collection is released as a limited edition, and Franck J. and his wife will be adding original designs to the brand.
www.tarnan.ch